A statewide ban on automated traffic cameras was approved Wednesday by the Iowa Senate after a heated debate in which opponents of the bill predicted it will result in more traffic deaths and serious injuries.

Senate File 2148 passed on a 32-18 vote. It would prohibit the use of electronic equipment to issue traffic violations for speeding and running red lights and would require the devices to be dismantled by July 1, 2018.

The bill was sent to the Iowa House, where its fate is uncertain. House members are considering competing bills that would either prohibit automated traffic devices or permit them with revised government regulations.

Read the full article on the Des Moines Register website.